1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for detecting a seat belt, and more particularly, to a system and method for detecting whether a seat belt is worn both in an ignition-on state and in an ignition-off state in order to support various functions that increase the safety and convenience of vehicle occupants.
2. Description of the Related Art
For their safety, vehicle occupants should wear seat belts, and are compulsorily required to wear the seat belts as their duty of law. Accordingly, vehicle makers have recently applied various devices and systems related to seat belts to vehicles so as to more reliably protect vehicle occupants from ear accidents.
However, in order to perform such safety functions, whether occupants are wearing seat belts is one of the most significant factors to determine the safety of the occupants. Further, only when whether occupants wear seat belts has been reliably determined can a warning be provided to occupants who do not wear seat belts or can the occupants can be prompted to wear seat belts.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,079,744 (issued on Jun. 27, 2000) discloses a device for detecting whether a seat belt is worn using a non-contact type sensor installed in a seat belt buckle, and will be referred to in order to facilitate an understanding of the present invention.
However, the conventional device for detecting whether a seat belt is worn is characterized in mat it only pertains to a determination of whether a seat belt is being worn in an ignition-on state, but has no provision for determination of whether a seat belt is worn both in an ignition-on state and in an ignition-off state, and offering of convenience, as well as safely, to a vehicle occupant.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art that is already known to a person skilled in the art.